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College Football

Betting Recap – Week 9

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
12 minute read
Be sure to follow VegasInsider.com on Twitter @TwitVI for the latest College Football betting updates and trends. Joe Williams can be followed on Twitter at JoeWilliamsVI.

College Football Week 9 Results
WAGER Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 41-17
Against the Spread 31-26-1
WAGER Home-Away
Straight Up 36-22
Against the Spread 36-21-1
WAGER Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 29-28-1
YEAR TO DATE Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 452-113
Against the Spread 287-267-11
YEAR TO DATE Home-Away
Straight Up 381-180
Against the Spread 276-274-11
YEAR TO DATE Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 268-294-9

The largest underdogs to win straight up

Kansas State (+23.5, ML +1100) vs. Oklahoma, 48-41
Colorado State (+14, ML +450) at Fresno State, 41-31
Oklahoma State (+11, ML +320) at Iowa State, 34-27
Illinois (+9.5, ML +280) at Purdue, 24-6
Kentucky (+9.5, ML +300) vs. Missouri, 29-7
San Jose State (+9.5, ML +300) at Army, 34-29
Rutgers (+7.5, ML +260) vs. Liberty, 44-34

The largest favorites to cover

Clemson (-35) vs. Boston College, 59-7
Alabama (-32) vs. Arkansas, 48-7
Western Michigan (-27) vs. Bowling Green, 49-10
Northern Illinois (-22) vs. Akron, 49-9
Utah (-21) vs. California, 35-0

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (AAC)

-- SMU stayed unbeaten with a 34-31 victory Thursday night at Houston. The Mustangs entered with a 7-0 record on the 'over', but this game officially pushed at most shops. They're still 8-0 SU, and they will face off against Memphis in a nationally-televised game on ABC at 7:30 p.m. ET. ... The Tigers almost made ABC's decision look like a bad one, as Tulsa had them on the ropes. The Golden Hurricanes were set up for the short, game-winning field goal and the upset as 9.5-point underdogs. However, the kicked shanked it left and disaster was averted for Memphis. Tulsa is 2-6 SU this season, but they've had several near-misses, including their OT loss at SMU after carrying a big lead into the fourth quarter. While they're on a four-game skid, they're 3-1 ATS during the span with the 'over' 3-1. ... South Florida rolled to a 45-20 win at East Carolina, as the Bulls have turned things around after a 1-3 SU/2-2 ATS start. They're 3-1 SU/ATS over the past four, and now just two wins from bowl eligibility. The 'over' is 4-1-1 in the past six for USF, too.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE (ACC)

--  North Carolina held off rival Duke, getting an interception at the goal line in the final few seconds at Kenan. Officially the 20-17 decision was a push at most shops (see below). ...  Miami-Florida picked up the road win at Pittsburgh by a 16-12, keeping Coastal chaos alive and well. The Hurricanes were without their leading rusher RB Deejay Dallas, and QB N'Kosi Perry wasn't close to 100 percent, but they got the win. Miami is 4-4 SU/ATS and the 'over/under' is 4-4. In other words, they're one of the hardest teams to figure. ... Virginia opened the season with a 4-0 SU/2-1-1 ATS record, but they are just 1-3 SU over their past four and 1-4 ATS across the past five outings. Louisville topped them 28-21, keeping the Cavaliers from attaining bowl eligibilty. The Cardinals are now 5-3 SU/ATS so far. ... Remember when everyone thought Clemson was done, or not one of the best teams in the country? They spanked Boston College by a 59-7 score, covering the largest spread in a BCS game this week, -35. The Tigers hit the 'over' themselves, too. Clemson has covered three in a row, and five of the past six.

BIG TEN

-- It was a sloppy day all over in the Big Ten, with torrentials rains in games in Ann Arbor, East Lansing and West Lafayette, among others. You have to love the fall and real football weather. Illinois continues to surprise, winning 24-6 on the road at Purdue, following up their surprising win over Wisconsin last week. The Illini are 4-4 SU, and they have covered three in a row. ... Minnesota posted the impressive 52-10 win over Maryland, improve to 8-0 SU for the first time since 1941. After starting out 0-2-1 ATS, the Golden Gophers have covered their past five in a row. All eyes are on their matchup with Penn State in two weeks. ... Speaking of the Nittany Lions, the battled the rain and slop, turning aside Michigan State by a 28-7 score. Surprisingly, this game nearly hit or at least pushed the total (42), but a scoreless fourth quarter splashed cold water on that, pun totally intended. ... Michigan annihilated rival Notre Dame in a driving rain for a good chunk of Saturday's game, winning 45-14. It is the last scheduled battle between these rivals until 2033. ... Last, but certainly not least, Ohio State steamrolled Wisconsin by a 38-7 count. The Badgers entered the day having yielded just 29 points in the first six games, but now they have allowed 62 total points in the past two weeks, losing consecutive games for the first time since 2016. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes have won eight in a row to start, and they haven't allowed anyone to score more than two times in a single since the opener against FAU of all teams. Ohio State has covered seven in a row since that game against Lane Kiffin's Owls, too.

BIG 12

-- The Texas memes and snipes at Tom Herman were spreading like wildfire in the Twitterverse following their 37-27 loss at TCU. The Longhorns barely scraped by last week, and suddenly they're 5-3 SU and just 2-3 ATS over the past five outings. ... Texas Tech went to Kansas and lost in one of the strangest ways possible. In the closing seconds, Kansas lined up for the game-winning field goal. They had it blocked, and the Red Raiders attempted to return it. They subsequently fumbled, Kansas got the ball back with just :01 left on the clock, getting another chance at the field goal. They buried this time, and won 37-34 to move to 3-5 SU. Suddenly it's en vogue to back the Jayhawks, too, as they're a perfect 3-0 ATS over the past three with the 'over' 5-1 in the past six. ... Oklahoma State posted a 34-27 win on the road as 11-point underdogs against Iowa State. The Cowboys slapped the brakes on a two-game skid, and 0-2 ATS run, improving to 5-3 SU/6-2 ATS. ... Of course, the big story of the day was the win by Kansas State over Oklahoma, 48-41. The Wildcats improved to 5-3 SU/ATS, and tossed a monkey wrench into the CFP picture, allowing plenty of teams to shoehorn back into the conversation.

CONFERENCE USA

-- Florida Atlantic atoned for a loss last week by going to Old Dominion and throttling the Monarchs, 41-3. The Owls have now posted a 5-3 SU/ATS record, and they haven't failed to cover in back-to-back game this season. The Owls did lose their leading passer, QB Brian Robinson, and leading rusher, RB Malcolm Davidson, so that's something to watch going forward. ... Next up for FAU is a battle with Western Kentucky, a team which fell 26-23 at Marshall. Despite the loss, the Hilltoppers picked up their fifth consecutive cover. ... Middle Tennessee posted a surprising 50-17 victory against Florida International, snapping a three-game winning streak for the Golden Panthers.

MID-AMERICAN (MAC)

-- Western Michigan topped Bowling Green by a 49-10 count, easily covering a 27-point number. Under bettors weren't happy with this result, though (see below). ...  Kent State fell at home to Miami-Ohio by a 23-16 score, as the Redhawks have won and covered consecutive games this season, and they're also 3-1 SU/ATS across the past four. ... Akron was blasted yet again, falling 49-0 at Northern Illinois. The Zips are now 0-8 SU/ATS on the season, the only team in FBS yet to cover this season. ... Buffalo topped Central Michigan by a 43-20 count as the 'over' connected. The Bulls have covered three in a row, too. ... Eastern Michigan slipped in overtime at Toledo, 37-34. The Eagles are now just 1-4 ATS across the past five outings.

MOUNTAIN WEST

-- San Diego State isn't wowing people with big offensive totals, but they keep on winning. They topped UNLV by a 20-17 score, moving to 7-1 SU/5-3 ATS with the 'under' also 7-1. ... San Jose State headed east and won another game on the road. They topped Arkansas earlier this season, and this weekend they stunned Army, 34-29. The Spartans are 4-4 SU this season, and an impressive 4-1-1 ATS over the past six outings. ... Air Force picked up a 31-7 win over Utah State, running the ball down their throats. The Falcons have won and covered a season-high three in a row heading into their non-conference rivalry game with Army next week. ... Hawaii returned to the mainland and oicked up the 45-31 victory in New Mexico. The Warriors improved to 5-3 SU and 4-4 ATS. The 'over' has cashed in each of the past three for Hawaii.

PAC-12

-- The best game of the day was easily the Washington State-Oregon battle in Eugene. It was a seesaw battle that lasted four hours and some change. Wazzu took a 35-34 lead with exactly one minute remaining, but QB Justin Herbert drove the Ducks down the field for the game-winning field goal as time expired, keeping the playoff hopes alive for the Ducks and the Pac-12. ... USC escaped with a 35-31 win at Colorado. The banged up Trojans earned the four-point win, their first on the road this season. They're also 1-3 ATS away from home. ... UCLA pulled off the 42-32 win over Arizona State, and they technically can still go to the conference title game if they win out. The Bruins have won and covered consecutive games for the first time this season, and the 'over' is 3-0 in the past three outings.

SOUTHEASTERN (SEC)

--  LSU held off Auburn by a 23-20 score. The Tigers have a huge battle at Alabama on Nov. 9. ... Speaking of 'Bama, it was no Tua and no problem for the Crimson Tide. They topped lowly Arkansas by a 48-7 score even without star signal caller Tua Tagovailoa (ankle). The Tide are 8-0 SU, but just 4-4 ATS this season and they have yet to cover in consecutive outings. ... Kentucky surprised Missouri in Lexington by a 29-7 count. The Tigers were in first place in the SEC East at one point, but they have dropped two in a row and failed to cover the past three. ... Tennessee topped South Carolina by a 41-21 score, covering for the third consecutive outing. The Vols have had a disastrous season, but they're 3-5 SU and still technically alive for a bowl berth if they can win three of the final four against UAB, Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt.

SUN BELT

-- Georgia Southern topped New Mexico State 41-7, as total bettors were feeling some fourth-quarter pain in this one (see below). ... Georgia State managed an impressive 52-33 win over Troy, moving to 6-2 SU and 5-1-2 ATS. The Panthers are now bowl eligible, too. ... Appalachian State earned the 30-3 win at South Alabama, keeping their hopes alive for that New Year's Day bowl game. The 'under' has cashed in three in a row for the Mountaineers, but they're four-game cover streak came to a close, just barely - by a half-point.

Bad Beats

-- Duke drove inside the 2-yard line and could have won outright. A trick play inside the 2-yard line in the final seconds was thwarted at the goal line, killing those holding a Blue Devils side ticket and a moneyline ticket.

-- New Mexico was trailing 45-17 with five minutes to go and a total of 71. They scored two touchdowns without a minute, closing to 45-31 and pushing the total over. 

-- New Mexico State was down 41-7 through three quarters wit ha total of 53.5. That's exactly how the game ended, so if you had an over ticket it's not necessarily a bad beat as it is bad luck, but anyway...this happened twice on the day.

-- In the MAC, Western Michigan was up 49-10 through three quarters with a total of 65.5 in the game against Bowling Green. After a scoreless fourth quarter, that's how things ended, too. Ugly.

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